CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => Big Ten => Topic started by: utee94 on February 02, 2023, 03:27:50 PM
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I feel like we used to have a thread for this stuff but I have no idea where it went. Maybe it was a board or two ago.
Anyway, some of you know that I like to do DIY projects for woodworking or home improvement or crafting or whatever. And of course once upon a time I restored a vintage 1963 26' Airstream Overlander RV travel trailer.
So I thought I'd create a thread for projects and stuff. Feel free to post your own, I'm always interested to see what other folks are up to in their spare time.
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Last weekend before the big Icepocalypse 2.0 began here in Austin, I did a quick project for my 15yo daughter.
She's really into sewing, and her machine and gear tend to take up our entire dining room table. At the same time, her and my 13yo son's old "toy room" had just become a room for his computer gaming system, and she never went in there. Add to that, we had an old Ikea tabletop lying around that used to be one of the kids' crayon/project desks in said toy room, but had been unused for the past 4 or 5 years, and well, you have a project.
So I present to you, the Ikea Murphy Sewing Table Project:
[color=rgb( var(--theme-link) )](https://media.surlyhorns.com/monthly_2023_02/MurphTable1.jpg.d810a38d479a45840e0b8e550c3aa269.jpg) (https://media.surlyhorns.com/monthly_2023_02/MurphTable1.jpg.d810a38d479a45840e0b8e550c3aa269.jpg)[/iurl][/font][/size][/color]
[color=rgb( var(--theme-link) )](https://media.surlyhorns.com/monthly_2023_02/MurphTable2.jpg.a0cc93aac88763dc16a372c0d81d121b.jpg) (https://media.surlyhorns.com/monthly_2023_02/MurphTable2.jpg.a0cc93aac88763dc16a372c0d81d121b.jpg)[/iurl][/font][/size][/color]
[color=rgb( var(--theme-link) )](https://media.surlyhorns.com/monthly_2023_02/MurphTable3.jpg.83578ed5eafab289c930c5c97c737de1.jpg) (https://media.surlyhorns.com/monthly_2023_02/MurphTable3.jpg.83578ed5eafab289c930c5c97c737de1.jpg)[/iurl][/font][/size][/color]
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Nice work!
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Thanks.
I created the backside as a chalkboard, but my daughter doesn't want to mess it up with any chalk writing so it might just stay permanently black.
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looks great! might steal the idea for mrs. rtf artwork room.
i've got a ton of projects underway, none making much headway right now due to water leak in shop from freeze few weeks back. gotta repair that first.
2 most pressing are...
refinishing some french doors salvaged from nola into dual-sliding doors for our laundry room.
making a jewelry box for my daughter for her last birthday. need to get on that, lol. pretty awesome wood, though. flame box elder. never seen it before. google search has wildly different pics of it, ours looks more like this:
(https://rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store/bmz_cache/h/headstock-box_eld_hpjpg.image.232x200.JPG)
going to accent with walnut, i think.
other projects coming up...
dining table
master closet refinish
master bed
recently completed...
made a bunk-system (i guess that's what you call it) for my boys. don't have photos with me though.
i'll try to get some pics of bunk and plans of jewelry box up tonight.
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Very nice work!!
I'm planning on some more reno to my lanai. Lower the openings a bit to hide the awning parts, and then add a couple of short walls to keep rain and sleet out. I'll post the now photos tomorrow. We've already done a lot of work out there.
I wish I could teach myself to tile/grout and stucco. Everything else I can do myself, which I will (and have).
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My latest project
(https://i.imgur.com/wryETp4.png)
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Nice!
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My latest project
[img width=274.381 height=375]https://i.imgur.com/wryETp4.png[/img]
Maple Syrup or booze?
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My latest project
(https://i.imgur.com/wryETp4.png)
moonshine?
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looks great! might steal the idea for mrs. rtf artwork room.
i've got a ton of projects underway, none making much headway right now due to water leak in shop from freeze few weeks back. gotta repair that first.
2 most pressing are...
refinishing some french doors salvaged from nola into dual-sliding doors for our laundry room.
making a jewelry box for my daughter for her last birthday. need to get on that, lol. pretty awesome wood, though. flame box elder. never seen it before. google search has wildly different pics of it, ours looks more like this:
(https://rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store/bmz_cache/h/headstock-box_eld_hpjpg.image.232x200.JPG)
going to accent with walnut, i think.
other projects coming up...
dining table
master closet refinish
master bed
recently completed...
made a bunk-system (i guess that's what you call it) for my boys. don't have photos with me though.
i'll try to get some pics of bunk and plans of jewelry box up tonight.
That wood looks awesome, should turn out to be very cool!
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Very nice work!!
I'm planning on some more reno to my lanai. Lower the openings a bit to hide the awning parts, and then add a couple of short walls to keep rain and sleet out. I'll post the now photos tomorrow. We've already done a lot of work out there.
I wish I could teach myself to tile/grout and stucco. Everything else I can do myself, which I will (and have).
Tile and grout is pretty easy, watch some Youtubes and go knock yourself out!
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Tile and grout is pretty easy, watch some Youtubes and go knock yourself out!
Agreed, and the saw isn't too expensive. Pays for itself in one job.
I bought the Rigid one, works well.
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moonshine?
yes but only for medicinal purposes
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Agreed, and the saw isn't too expensive. Pays for itself in one job.
I bought the Rigid one, works well.
Yup, I bought one when I was doing a lot of DIY projects at our first house, and sold it on Craigslist ten years later for about 80% of what I paid for it.
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yes but only for medicinal purposes
😂😂😂🤣🤣
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It's not DIY, but a humbling inspirational and an eye opening YouTuber channel is Next Level Carpentry.
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here is jewelry box design and boys bunk thing
i have another design for the jewelry box with single row of drawers but can't find it right now. basically same thing though.
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Meanwhile my 11 year old is knitting a scarf, she would love that sewing table.
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Meanwhile my 11 year old is knitting a scarf, she would love that sewing table.
Super easy to build, if you have a spot for it. We made it a Murphy table, so that it lifts up when not in use, because my son also uses that room for his gaming consoles, and that's where the chairs go when facing the TV.
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For tile cutting, do you need the wet saw? I've not looked into it.
I've got maybe 10 SF of tile left to do. Not sure it is worth buying a uni-tasker tool for that.
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For tile cutting, do you need the wet saw? I've not looked into it.
I've got maybe 10 SF of tile left to do. Not sure it is worth buying a uni-tasker tool for that.
I did a tile job where I was laying mosaic tile, and needed to trim some tiles near the edges. I just bought the simple hand tool for it.
It worked well enough for what I was doing (and since I don't own the house). But the edges aren't perfectly smooth and it was only for 2" tiles--you could probably mess up a larger tile if you don't get it cut right on the line you're looking to cut.
However if you're really trying to do it right, I'd recommend renting the proper tool if you don't expect to need it in the future.
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Yup pretty sure you can rent a wet saw.
If you don't have a whole lot of cuts to do and they're all straight, then the tile snapping tool would probably work for you, too.
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Same answer here. My local HD will rent you the wet sawvthat I own.
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For tile cutting, do you need the wet saw? I've not looked into it.
I've got maybe 10 SF of tile left to do. Not sure it is worth buying a uni-tasker tool for that.
you can rent one, but for such small amount of work, you can probably buy one of the super cheap ones and they'll work plenty good enough for that little amount.
any big box store will have some for around $100. harbor freight has one for $60-70 that's not terrible.
if you can get it done in a day or less, renting one might be a little cheaper. anything more than a day, maybe 2, and might as well buy one.
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https://www.instagram.com/p/CmFbY6evHgp/
^anyone in the market for a 2F jointer? I just left Steve's (Phantom CNC) this afternoon, and izzy is a buddy of mine (who is about to market the RFID/safe box for me).
there is also a cross bed table saw- a digital one you dial in.. a full size dove tail joiner, a planer, and of course the CNC and Plasma line.
I'll be working in partnership with him starting the week after next for fiber lasers- 4x4, 4x8, 5x10 in everything from 2kW to 8kW, which is some pretty industrial stuff... the bigger ones are freakin' climate controlled- hvac systems- no kidding... however, the prices make them available for medium and small shops.. we'll have a 5 axis cnc out by the end of the year in 4x8 and 5x10 for under $100k... yup- you read that right.
i've been running a s series now for a couple years- it makes life SO much easier... i'd bore you guys to tears with all the pics, so, i'll spare ya.
the jointer in the video above is a prototype- we've since made the fence a lot taller and put a more powerful motor on it. the self feed makes the tool safe to use--- if anyone is unaware, a jointer is a dangerous tool and likely costs more flesh in the shop than any other tool with the exception of a table saw, and that only because table saw's vastly outnumber them.
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Planning to make my wife a planter for herbs. 3x3 of 12" or maybe even 18" squares with wooden dividers so she'll have enough for 9 different plantings.
Right now looking like it'll be a project for the weekend of Feb 25, so I need to start drawing up plans and a material list.
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^anyone in the market for a 2F jointer? I just left Steve's (Phantom CNC) this afternoon, and izzy is a buddy of mine (who is about to market the RFID/safe box for me).
there is also a cross bed table saw- a digital one you dial in.. a full size dove tail joiner, a planer, and of course the CNC and Plasma line.
I'll be working in partnership with him starting the week after next for fiber lasers- 4x4, 4x8, 5x10 in everything from 2kW to 8kW, which is some pretty industrial stuff... the bigger ones are freakin' climate controlled- hvac systems- no kidding... however, the prices make them available for medium and small shops.. we'll have a 5 axis cnc out by the end of the year in 4x8 and 5x10 for under $100k... yup- you read that right.
i've been running a s series now for a couple years- it makes life SO much easier... i'd bore you guys to tears with all the pics, so, i'll spare ya.
the jointer in the video above is a prototype- we've since made the fence a lot taller and put a more powerful motor on it. the self feed makes the tool safe to use--- if anyone is unaware, a jointer is a dangerous tool and likely costs more flesh in the shop than any other tool with the exception of a table saw, and that only because table saw's vastly outnumber them.
love izzy's yt channel. him and his crew seem to have a lot of fun and make some great stuff, including tools.
i just got a craigslist find powermatic jointer and put a helixhead in it about 6 months back. love that thing. an auto feed on it would be amazing.
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@rolltidefan (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=12) powermatic's are fantastic tools... but the jointer in the video is in a class of it's own.. it cuts both faces at the same time- and a perfect 90* angle.. makes dimensioning wood stupid easy. and that's the biggest pain in my arse i face in the shop--- i have connections for exotic woods people wouldn't believe- a guy who imports and sells to wholesalers exclusively has literally 28 acres of JUST genuine mahogany (which only fairly recently was allowed back in the states).. he has sapele in equal amounts.. wenge, purple heart, jatoba... you name it. his smallest planks in the mahogany are 20" over the face and 16/4 thick--- 24' long.
i have pictures of one of my 'takes' from him.. he gives it to me for FREE... he literally pulls blemishes off the bundles and burns them in his kiln to keep gas costs down. i've picked up jatoba, wenge, spanish cedar, on and on- off the ground for absolutely free.
insofar as izzy is concerned- that guy is a evil genius.. the stuff he makes and comes up with is astounding. if you're familiar with his channels you only see a portion of it. Steve, who owns phantom cnc systems, utilized izzy to launch his business, basically, and though i thought he was crazy for leveraging a "social media influencer", i'll be damned if he isn't killing it. he uses nick at stated woods, too, who is also part of 'our' family.
steve is weeks from launching the woodworking line. he has them stacked up and i saw them today- got to play with a few i hadn't seen. i wanted to set up a dealership complete with showroom here, but he wants me to go another direction........ fiber lasers... and i think i'll do just that. well, that and the five axis gantry CNC's... THOSE things are stupifying to me to see work...
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Man I need to plane off about 1/4" from a piece of live edge black walnut I was using for a project. I was doing bar-top resin on it, which I've done a dozen times before, but this time I guess the ambient temperature was off, because it never stopped bubbling up. Normally I use a small torch to heat it up and get the bubbles out, but on this one, it just kept on bubbling and eventually it set, with bubbles still in it. Looks terrible.
So I want to plane off the top 1/4" where the finish is messed up and start with fresh new wood. Can a planer handle taking epoxy resin off, or am I just SOL?
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Might get too hot??
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gum up the planer blade
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@utee94 (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=15) maybe a router sled with a surfacing bit?
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@Drew4UTk (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1) yeah i saw that jointer few weeks back when he released video. looks amazing, but i'm a lowly (and cheap) weekend worker, so i'm guessing that's out of my range. really cool, though.
now just put a width-adjusting table saw and add a planer to the autofeed thing on top, and you can do s4s in 1 pass.
or radial arm saw with blade 90 degrees
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Man I need to plane off about 1/4" from a piece of live edge black walnut I was using for a project. I was doing bar-top resin on it, which I've done a dozen times before, but this time I guess the ambient temperature was off, because it never stopped bubbling up. Normally I use a small torch to heat it up and get the bubbles out, but on this one, it just kept on bubbling and eventually it set, with bubbles still in it. Looks terrible.
So I want to plane off the top 1/4" where the finish is messed up and start with fresh new wood. Can a planer handle taking epoxy resin off, or am I just SOL?
i do it all the time, both with the dewalt 735 and with a surfacing bit on the cnc. shallow cuts is the key, and make sure the resin is 100% set up, otherwise it gets gummed.
@rolltidefan (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=12) - the jointer will drop for $5500 or so... not too bad. he also has a 28" planer he hasn't released yet, that cross sled table saw, a band saw, and that dovetail machine... all single phase 220v.
izzy called back in november and i went to see him the sunday after thanksgiving, and was supposed to start running production for him starting just before the new year...... and here it is Feb and it still hasn't materialized which pisses me off because i retooled and purchased material to support it. i think i'll be pulling stakes with that one.
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(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/318074949_565441345591680_5407069423824613930_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=XI9vWA3big0AX_Fj8x_&tn=Tmh8KleF5Mp7Ppq-&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfCTK0D30SeRd2ezhZ5cFaCTz32H1oMhKnwU2J8gJ4aSYQ&oe=63E45AD6)
i've been making woodworking and commercial (dimensional/architectural) sign making my living (if you can call it that) for almost three years now... i've been dealing with all kinds of woodwork and figured i had a decent grasp on things...
then i learn something new... huh...
this is mahogany and a shadow box i made some time back. the finish is hard to capture in an image and it's not here anymore (recipient has it, obviously) so getting a good one isn't going to happen. next time i employ this technique i'll try to remember to take pics... but here it is- a french polish with a quarter the effort (if that)....
get a quart or gallon of polyacrylic... hand rub it into the grain until it's dry... do at least two if not three coats- whatever the wood will absorb.... then, good ol' finishing wax.... rub it in the same and polish it off after it sets... this was two coats in with the wax iirc, and i think i took it to four before it was over... total time perhaps an hour... this was after sanding to 240g then raising the grain with water, another 240g and on up to 320g. the 320 (anythign really after 240g) is more the less burnishing. this technique is fantastic and super easy, just as strong as a proper french (piano) polish, and takes literally less than a quarter the time or effort.
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you guys may like this.... made for a retiring colonel for his retirement gif to a unit he stood up out at MARSOC.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/281822995_1072338156722445_8316216939608895510_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Xk3LPPKG0swAX_rBDyN&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfCxP45vpQ91Mn0WFp4QZef_02boma6oY-V7nvvVhULtCQ&oe=63E2AC1E)
it's 34" diameter, cut from 2x2x40 planks i milled down mahogany that was all reclaimed... i cut opposing staves across backside of it to brace it after the glue up, and then went to carving.
or this:
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/269946438_980982932524635_228847507918583027_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=TZ5weBqsLisAX-Hsjuj&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfA9Atgult4BJH2R_xLwrBGhKU8O5-cpa4D9liQULg5bnw&oe=63E3BF7C)
the 'softest' wood in that is sapele, and the hardest is padagonian rosewood... there is brazillian cherry (jatoba) which broke a table saw belt when dimensioning, padouk, purple heart, hard maple (which actually may be softer than the sapele now that i think about it, but it's close)... this was to become a desktop with inlays of a compass rose and name for my daughter- then i realized i painted myself into a corner without leaving area enough for contrasting wood... the inlay was to take up the entire lower right to upper right corner.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/270655540_980982939191301_5079211636340908271_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=kGQrmC5l9woAX9WYFkR&_nc_oc=AQnugLXaiK5BM757Gdqnuru4Ixl3dGiVJLzUiKTLVxAyso6bLPpmiMMtpGkfRkTk9SiM3cRmmuWSKtX6gP57agyA&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBmng6yPzZ6JdaGS08UPQdtQl7yJaxZ2M7qaxmMi8aEGw&oe=63E3CEC3)
and then this for an old platoon sgt's (and the best leader i ever served with) wife- inlayed black walnut into a swamp maple live edge plank... i sent it inlayed and nothing else, and let him finish it out as a gist to her.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/268254351_971569816799280_8610503604952302803_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=B0QFpSr8xUIAX9iFs2P&tn=Tmh8KleF5Mp7Ppq-&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBV5utDTV9DlU_VqyGWI5LuGwOXpx3ogxzqCFSEucnvuQ&oe=63E30ED6)
here is where the money comes from:
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/255460351_948767355746193_2229781846592367613_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=bNxTuMce0D0AX-Tk1il&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfDOvupa1UKucDhVNq_H2JV_xo7hNhibqzeGQF6aQ8NyDQ&oe=63E412C5)
that engine cover barely fit on my table. they come in two's - one for starboard engine and one for port... they cover some fire breathing supercharged marine engines producing over 2kHP each... these are on the bottom of the hatch/compartment cover and only seen when the covers are lifted... that is carbon fiber with epoxy/resin encapsulating a piece of 3/8" acrylic that has edge lighting also laid into it.
my job is to locate the acrylic and then cut through the grpahite/resin and make the logo... when these are brought to me the factory (an hour north or so) have to tell the insurance company they're leaving and then when they arrive... then again when they pick them up.... i refuse to transport them. they're around $20k for the set. after they leave there is a resin pour to fill the logo/pocket i just cut... they use a very specific epoxy and go through pains to make it cure at just the right rate and at a precise temperature... otherwise, which is a lesson they learned the hard way, the epoxy melts and drips all over those engines which make the cost of the covers look like paper wrappers in terms of cost.
it was originally done as a custom job and by request from a specific owner, but is now an option offered by fountain.... and yours truly get to do the cuts... why? because i'm teh only one dumb enough to cut into such expensive material where there is no documentation on how to do so... :)
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/244849666_929055764384019_9008898508037885507_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=Zi0To9_KAG4AX_ykH0I&tn=Tmh8KleF5Mp7Ppq-&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfANodN0CofEJAsVHmmiiWLpvWoakcURU1ME4dr-XzBhDQ&oe=63E3F56D)
and i'll leave yall alone after this one, and since it kinda circles back to football... a guy asked me to take a table that had been in his family since he was a kid (he's around 60 or so) and was the first table his parents bought as a couple- and 'do something with it'... it doesn't have a lot of value money wise, but tremendous value sentimentally... dinners eaten over it, paperwork keeping the family running, arguments, good times and bad times, as he told it... he's done really well for himself and this thing doesn't quite fit in with the style of his house anymore- but he wasn't about to get rid of it... so... he made it a poker table and it exists in his game room with a new lease on life.. he's a big NCST fan as you likely noticed. that's black walnut inlayed into very damn old soft maple (that is far from actually soft)... this was a fun and fairly quick job (except for the stripping of the original finish).
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/249032271_10160254426283755_5763096774978044611_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=GQWzWnRNV8IAX8EvQ_u&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBSs3Fh_J45foFY9VZdktvsULZSCy9ebbWSwZa8Ou6Myg&oe=63E307EA)
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Oh yeah the resin is set up. It's been something like 2 years now. That piece is just sitting in my wood bin in my woodshop shed, taunting me for screwing it up.
I went a different route for the tabletop and completed the project a long time ago, but that was a really nice $150 piece of live edge black walnut and it seems a shame not to use it somehow.
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Oh yeah the resin is set up. It's been something like 2 years now. That piece is just sitting in my wood bin in my woodshop shed, taunting me for screwing it up.
I went a different route for the tabletop and completed the project a long time ago, but that was a really nice $150 piece of live edge black walnut and it seems a shame not to use it somehow.
Find a local cnc guy and have him run it... ought to be simple job.
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Find a local cnc guy and have him run it... ought to be simple job.
Cool, thanks. I really would love to finish this project and get it out of the wood bin.
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you guys may like this.... made for a retiring colonel for his retirement gif to a unit he stood up out at MARSOC.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/281822995_1072338156722445_8316216939608895510_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=Xk3LPPKG0swAX_rBDyN&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfCxP45vpQ91Mn0WFp4QZef_02boma6oY-V7nvvVhULtCQ&oe=63E2AC1E)
it's 34" diameter, cut from 2x2x40 planks i milled down mahogany that was all reclaimed... i cut opposing staves across backside of it to brace it after the glue up, and then went to carving.
or this:
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/269946438_980982932524635_228847507918583027_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=TZ5weBqsLisAX-Hsjuj&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfA9Atgult4BJH2R_xLwrBGhKU8O5-cpa4D9liQULg5bnw&oe=63E3BF7C)
the 'softest' wood in that is sapele, and the hardest is padagonian rosewood... there is brazillian cherry (jatoba) which broke a table saw belt when dimensioning, padouk, purple heart, hard maple (which actually may be softer than the sapele now that i think about it, but it's close)... this was to become a desktop with inlays of a compass rose and name for my daughter- then i realized i painted myself into a corner without leaving area enough for contrasting wood... the inlay was to take up the entire lower right to upper right corner.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/270655540_980982939191301_5079211636340908271_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=kGQrmC5l9woAX9WYFkR&_nc_oc=AQnugLXaiK5BM757Gdqnuru4Ixl3dGiVJLzUiKTLVxAyso6bLPpmiMMtpGkfRkTk9SiM3cRmmuWSKtX6gP57agyA&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBmng6yPzZ6JdaGS08UPQdtQl7yJaxZ2M7qaxmMi8aEGw&oe=63E3CEC3)
and then this for an old platoon sgt's (and the best leader i ever served with) wife- inlayed black walnut into a swamp maple live edge plank... i sent it inlayed and nothing else, and let him finish it out as a gist to her.
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/268254351_971569816799280_8610503604952302803_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=B0QFpSr8xUIAX9iFs2P&tn=Tmh8KleF5Mp7Ppq-&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBV5utDTV9DlU_VqyGWI5LuGwOXpx3ogxzqCFSEucnvuQ&oe=63E30ED6)
here is where the money comes from:
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/255460351_948767355746193_2229781846592367613_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=bNxTuMce0D0AX-Tk1il&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfDOvupa1UKucDhVNq_H2JV_xo7hNhibqzeGQF6aQ8NyDQ&oe=63E412C5)
that engine cover barely fit on my table. they come in two's - one for starboard engine and one for port... they cover some fire breathing supercharged marine engines producing over 2kHP each... these are on the bottom of the hatch/compartment cover and only seen when the covers are lifted... that is carbon fiber with epoxy/resin encapsulating a piece of 3/8" acrylic that has edge lighting also laid into it.
my job is to locate the acrylic and then cut through the grpahite/resin and make the logo... when these are brought to me the factory (an hour north or so) have to tell the insurance company they're leaving and then when they arrive... then again when they pick them up.... i refuse to transport them. they're around $20k for the set. after they leave there is a resin pour to fill the logo/pocket i just cut... they use a very specific epoxy and go through pains to make it cure at just the right rate and at a precise temperature... otherwise, which is a lesson they learned the hard way, the epoxy melts and drips all over those engines which make the cost of the covers look like paper wrappers in terms of cost.
it was originally done as a custom job and by request from a specific owner, but is now an option offered by fountain.... and yours truly get to do the cuts... why? because i'm teh only one dumb enough to cut into such expensive material where there is no documentation on how to do so... :)
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/244849666_929055764384019_9008898508037885507_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=a26aad&_nc_ohc=Zi0To9_KAG4AX_ykH0I&tn=Tmh8KleF5Mp7Ppq-&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfANodN0CofEJAsVHmmiiWLpvWoakcURU1ME4dr-XzBhDQ&oe=63E3F56D)
and i'll leave yall alone after this one, and since it kinda circles back to football... a guy asked me to take a table that had been in his family since he was a kid (he's around 60 or so) and was the first table his parents bought as a couple- and 'do something with it'... it doesn't have a lot of value money wise, but tremendous value sentimentally... dinners eaten over it, paperwork keeping the family running, arguments, good times and bad times, as he told it... he's done really well for himself and this thing doesn't quite fit in with the style of his house anymore- but he wasn't about to get rid of it... so... he made it a poker table and it exists in his game room with a new lease on life.. he's a big NCST fan as you likely noticed. that's black walnut inlayed into very damn old soft maple (that is far from actually soft)... this was a fun and fairly quick job (except for the stripping of the original finish).
(https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/249032271_10160254426283755_5763096774978044611_n.jpg?_nc_cat=110&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=GQWzWnRNV8IAX8EvQ_u&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-1.xx&oh=00_AfBSs3Fh_J45foFY9VZdktvsULZSCy9ebbWSwZa8Ou6Myg&oe=63E307EA)
You do some really cool stuff, always enjoy seeing it!
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thank you very much, Sir.
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Ya nice work drew,pop sicle stick bird houses are about the ceiling of my wood working acumen. Norm Abrams isn't shivering his timbers if I were to relpace him
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@Drew4UTk (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=1)
https://www.holtzleather.com/products/family-name-wall-art?fbc_id=6281387697700&h_ad_id=6282202095100 (https://www.holtzleather.com/products/family-name-wall-art?fbc_id=6281387697700&h_ad_id=6282202095100)
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Why can't I see any of Drew's pictures?
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porn blocker???
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Uhhhh...
Anyway, here's a pic of some of my homemade Christmas decorations. I have more pics somewhere, and closeup, but the trees are all made from old scrap pallets, and the snowflakes hanging, are made from some scrap 1x I had lying around.
(https://i.imgur.com/hKqxbWG.png)
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Found a couple more:
(https://i.imgur.com/PGaJLFv.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Ay68URZ.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/lBMWQTB.jpg)
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Uhhhh...
Anyway, here's a pic of some of my homemade Christmas decorations. I have more pics somewhere, and closeup, but the trees are all made from old scrap pallets, and the snowflakes hanging, are made from some scrap 1x I had lying around.
(https://i.imgur.com/hKqxbWG.png)
ok Mr Grizwold
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ok Mr Grizwold
Ha!
No, my Dad is Mr. Griswold. My setup is nothing compared to his.
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Thanks to AI, Google Maps, and some ingenuity combined with borderline
stalker tenacious personality traits, I now know where you live. I'll be over for brisket at your earliest convenience. I'm not a moocher, I'll bring the beer and you're welcome at my place for gumbo anytime.
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Thanks to AI, Google Maps, and some ingenuity combined with borderline stalker tenacious personality traits, I now know where you live. I'll be over for brisket at your earliest convenience. I'm not a moocher, I'll bring the beer and you're welcome at my place for gumbo anytime.
thats scary
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Ha!
It's pretty well established that my residence is in Cedar Park. I've been posting on message boards with the same moniker since 1995, so I assume every scraper-bot on the planet knows exactly who I am and where I live. I like you better than I like scraper bots so you're welcome to the knowledge, and of course you're welcome to the brisket as well.
Pretty sure my next cook will be the first weekend of Spring Break, so 3/11.
Live Oak Big Bark or Pilz go especially well with brisket IMO.
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Since you already know where I live, here's Halloween:
(https://i.imgur.com/iek6Ml1.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/ekS0fca.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/13e535G.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/XH6gtXS.png)
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(https://i.imgur.com/QqohiL3.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/OGNRWK7.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/zU2vU7h.png)
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I started doing the Beetlejuice theme 3-4 years ago, after being decoration-shamed for years by my next-door neighbor who has always done a big Nightmare Before Christmas themed yard. I've always liked Beetlejuice so I figured I'd keep with the Tim Burton thing going.
Here are some pics of the neighbor's yard, they're from different years and it changes a little bit every time, but the 12-foot tall Jack Skellington is always there and he's REALLY impressive:
(https://i.imgur.com/XdxdEn4.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/TRm14Sk.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/nFXfLIL.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/WHpiqdy.png)
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Bah humbug.
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Now you sound like my i s c & a aggie wife. She didn't like storing the pallet-trees and snowflakes, so we got rid of them after Christmas this year. I'll have to come up with something new for next year.
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Got hit with a short fuse for the USAF.... recruiting stuff.... since I was the only one who could pull it off in time, i get the job... if they like it/them, i get to do a metric shit ton of them- which is nice because they're SO simple.
this goes on a thingamuhthing--- a wall made for the obstacle course.... funny enough (being the USAF) the wall has a gadget that makes it raise or lower, and reveals a window someone can crawl through if they can't climb... A Marine wouldn't have that... they'd just walk around the silly thing :)
these things are inset into the posts on either side (or, will be at least on one) :
(https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/332094018_907191770427283_2888333405091593716_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=5EisL5LzaDcAX-E_6rL&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=00_AfBX06EUqMvScyjL8_X9KIfEtwXxW8mG5HEShQLXWakDZw&oe=64060B57)
(https://scontent-atl3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/333505968_105986915737976_850905101684133656_n.jpg?_nc_cat=107&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=9PwSQjXhQVcAX94zbu-&_nc_ht=scontent-atl3-2.xx&oh=00_AfDS03HszGZ1PLmOdRZZ4ErWrI0-354-pwD8PZ-zuR3pLg&oe=64065F79)
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Now you sound like my i s c & a aggie wife. She didn't like storing the pallet-trees and snowflakes, so we got rid of them after Christmas this year. I'll have to come up with something new for next year.
instead of pallet trees and snowflakes, what about fence panel/plank trees and snowflakes? completely different.
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Oh I just unearthed these pictures of a Lego/crafting table I made for my kids many years ago. The top is 3/4" birch plywood in a natural finish, edge-banded in mahogany because why not? The bottom is 3/4" BC pine painted out to match the Ikea Trofast storage units at either end. I put a little cut-out in the bottom piece on either side so the kids could pull up their stools right under it, and then of course had to put it on rubber casters so they could roll it around their toy room. I also tacked on a little base bolding trim to make the bottom look a little more finished. The Lego topper is made of Lego baseplates mounted to an MDF core.
(https://i.imgur.com/yReT6xM.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/cfdJ4hp.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/Py7YgqS.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/h88IGgf.png)(https://i.imgur.com/OKG7gtl.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/3TgXGjf.png)
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by building a table for legos you have taken away one of the joys of fatherhood
have you ever stepped on a lego in the dark at 2 in the morning
life doesnt get any better
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by building a table for legos you have taken away one of the joys of fatherhood
have you ever stepped on a lego in the dark at 2 in the morning
life doesnt get any better
Ha! It's not like my kids were particularly good at keeping the legos on the table, or in the bins. I've had plenty of occasions to enjoy the searing pain of a lego in the foot at 2 AM.
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So, when I'm grilling, I prefer to cook with lump charcoal using the cooking grates on my outdoor bbq pit.
HOWEVER, my i s c & a aggie wife really likes the convenience of the propane grill that came built in to the then-new outdoor kitchen when we bought our house 12 years ago. It worked well for many years, but unfortunately time hasn't been all that kind to the grill-- most of the burners are corroded and burned out, the igniter doesn't work, the knobs have all basically melted to the point of near uselessness, and on one of the valves/knobs, if you attempt to light that particular burner, flame will come shooting back out of the valve and around the knob, directly onto the human standing next to the grill. None of these are good, obviously.
So I was thinking, man, that grill's a mess, we should just buy a new one. Well, searching up on the web, the exact replacement for this BBQs Galore Grand Turbo model, is $4,000. So after I got my eyes back into my head, I was thinking, "maybe a cheaper model exists." But about the cheapest I can find that would fit the same opening in the outdoor kitchen countertop, is still something like $2,400.
So now I'm thinking, I'm really cheap, and I wonder what it would take to repair it? Many of the parts are available online, but not necessarily all of them. At a minimum it's going to take new burners, new carryover tubes, new knobs, new igniter, and new ceramics for the vaporizer/flavorizer tray. Depending on the issue with the valve that shoots flame outward toward the humans instead of inward toward the food, it might need valve replacement, or it might just need venturi tube cleaning. Also much of the mounting apparatus inside the grill has corroded and turned to dust, so it might require the purchase or fabrication of some new mounting pieces. Luckily the exterior of the stainless grill and all of its grates., are still in excellent shape.
I'm planning on posting up my progress here for anyone interested, and also, if any of you have experience doing this and know where to find obscure parts, please let me know.
TL; DR -- I'm rehabbing my 13-15 year old BBQs Galore built-in Grand Turbo propane grill, any help is appreciated or if you just want to laugh at me that's okay too.
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Check BBQ guys.
I got my Weber Summit for much less through them rather than Ace or direct.
BBQ Grills, Smokers & Outdoor Kitchens : BBQGuys (https://www.bbqguys.com/)
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Rehabbing sounds like the better option vs new.
My wife had a standard kind of Weber gas grill which I disliked and usually took the time to use my charcoal grill.
I've mentioned before the condo here had an electric table top Weber grill that I kind of laughed at and dismissed until I tried it. I like it better than gas.
I don't try to DIY much of anything any more beyond writing a check to someone else to DI. I'm "wealthy" after all.
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I like doing stuff. Can't do as much as I used to. Things happen. But I still know how to do most everything around the house, so I can tell when a contractor is bullshitting.
As for the grill, that would be last on my list of things to repair. I'd write the check. The newer stuff is much better anyway.
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brother had a built in gas grill on his patio by the pool
he removed the old one and fashioned a storage cabinet for smoker tools and supplies.
Cheap, cheap
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(https://i.imgur.com/vHMSq5t.png)
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Check BBQ guys.
I got my Weber Summit for much less through them rather than Ace or direct.
BBQ Grills, Smokers & Outdoor Kitchens : BBQGuys (https://www.bbqguys.com/)
Yeah those are the "cheaper" options at around $2,500 for the proper-fitting replacement product. I'd spend that money on a BBQ pit, but not gonna spend that much on a propane grill that I'll never use.
Parts I need are around $450-$500. Gonna be a slam-dunk right? :)
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Should be easy for any good EE.
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(https://i.imgur.com/vHMSq5t.png)
That's a nice looking griddle. But it's not a grill.
I'll be getting the Blackstone griddle when all of this is done, and better yet it'll be portable rather than fixed so I can bring it camping!
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Should be easy for any good EE.
Right on!
Heck I just took another look at the rusty-looking burners and they're not actually all that bad. They're stainless steel, so a lot of the corrosion is actually just soot and grease. There's no cracking from burnout, and all of the holes appear to be open. These are some solid stainless steel mofos.
I might just be able to get by with only spending $250-$300...
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Need photos as you work it. How does one clean these things? Solvent? Pressure? Liquid CO2?
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Yeah those are the "cheaper" options at around $2,500 for the proper-fitting replacement product. I'd spend that money on a BBQ pit, but not gonna spend that much on a propane grill that I'll never use.
Parts I need are around $450-$500. Gonna be a slam-dunk right? :)
This would be:
(https://i.imgur.com/6zzMvY2.png)
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You don't seem to understand the concept of "built-in propane grill in an outdoor kitchen." My i s c & a aggie wife would throw me out of the house within moments of me presenting that thing to her, or even suggesting it.
Need photos as you work it. How does one clean these things? Solvent? Pressure? Liquid CO2?
I'll definitely post up some photos. I'm just now starting the research but it sounds like making a paste of baking soda and water, letting it sit, and then buffing it out, is one way to deal with it.
I'll probably pull everything out, give it a good pressure wash with soap and water, and then start down the path of anti-corrosion.
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You don't seem to understand the concept of "built-in propane grill in an outdoor kitchen." My i s c & a aggie wife would throw me out of the house within moments of me presenting that thing to her, or even suggesting it.
I'll definitely post up some photos. I'm just now starting the research but it sounds like making a paste of baking soda and water, letting it sit, and then buffing it out, is one way to deal with it.
I'll probably pull everything out, give it a good pressure wash with soap and water, and then start down the path of anti-corrosion.
Add some lemon juice to that baking soda mixture. Get some CLR and some high-heat paint.
I do fully understand. I have one too.
I just thought it would be cute little adorable and sweet thing to present her with, as her own. And you can take it camping!
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Add some lemon juice to that baking soda mixture. Get some CLR and some high-heat paint.
I do fully understand. I have one too.
I just thought it would be cute little adorable and sweet thing to present her with, as her own. And you can take it camping!
Well, now I like where you're coming from!
But we actually have several grills when we camp. One is built-in to the RV's outdoor kitchen and runs off the RV's propane tanks, another is a freestanding unit that either plugs into the RV's propane or runs off a separate LPG bottle, and finally there's the Weber kettle charcoal grill which is the one we use most, since I do the majority of the camping cooking.
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Baking soda or baking powder?
I would think lemon juice would cause it to fixx and neutralize the soda.
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Baking soda.
One of the other online suggestions is to mix baking soda with white vinegar which would have a similar reaction, mixing acids and bases.
I'll probably end up trying all of the above, it's cheap and these burners need the help. There are 6 of them, maybe I'll run some experiments.
But first they're all getting a power wash and a soapy bath with a grease-defeating soap like Dawn.
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Used to be I could lay my hands on benzene, which is a pretty good grease solvent, but makes you have square babies.
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This would be:
(https://i.imgur.com/6zzMvY2.png)
I have this on the bench in my attached garage with a side door into my kitchen
grill year around regardless of weather
I can get close to 550 degrees on the built-in thermometer in the lid
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(https://i.imgur.com/gqFNTAZ.png)
Hey, it's kind of home improvement, sorta.
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Need photos as you work it. How does one clean these things? Solvent? Pressure? Liquid CO2?
The final answer? An angle grinder with a wire cup wheel. :)
(https://i.imgur.com/r8F1LSF.png)
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Here are some before and after. I'll give the details after that:
[img width=373.996 height=500]https://i.imgur.com/SzD7YAi.png[/img]
(https://i.imgur.com/WJrPHp2.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/of5Z2Lx.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/AHB3yIH.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/G9bCqPW.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/roNM0QY.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bfa83Ua.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/mrOEdjE.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bNb5Aya.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/qF3T0Kh.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/9ttHbTU.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/viJJsp9.jpeg)
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And some after:
(https://i.imgur.com/nhTXUhf.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/V7kzogJ.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/4Im7XD0.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/n8HYpzT.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/pOLBdUM.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/XpKG5gf.png)
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Summary:
Condition: The thing was obviously really dirty. Lots of caked up grease and grime on the grates, sides, lid, everywhere. Burner 3 from right would shoot out flames at me. Burner 4 from right was very hard to light. The ceramic flavorizer/heat distribution bricks had mostly disintegrated, and tons of it had fallen through to the bottom. The cast stainless steel burners were heavily covered with surface rust but otherwise in good shape. The igniters/gas collector boxes were completely rusted through and had broken off and fallen into the basin. The carryover tubes at the back were badly rusted but only one was completely broken. The knobs were corroded and the inserts were all melted and misshapen from the heat, so they didn't really work for turning the D-type valves.
Steps:
I took it all apart so I could clean it. First I tried to wash the grates with degreasing soap and water, that did nothing. Power-washing helped a little. But really, the only real progress occurred after I took the angle grinder with a wire cup wheel to it.
I also used the angle grinder and wire cup to clean all the rust off the stainless steel burners, that was really rewarding. All of the holes were fine, but after washing with vinegar and grinding the rust off, I went back and blew it all out with pressurized air.
The old knobs were shot, I ordered inexpensive replacement knobs to replace them.
Two valves were shot, I pulled both and took them apart to inspect them and one was really sticky, the other had some broken bits inside. Bought two new ones to replace-- they're almost identical except they're built upside down, odd but liveable.
I replaced all three igniter/gas collectors and I replaced the electric automatic igniter switch. None of that had EVER worked since we bought the house, now it's all like new.
The rear gas carryover tubes are in rough, rusted out shape, but only one was completely broken. I confirmed the others still work, and I'm having a buddy who works at a metal fab shop make up a new one for me to replace the last one. The new igniter/collectors also act as carryover tubes at the front, so everything works basically as designed, until I can get that new fabbed piece in there.
I replaced the flavorizer/heat dissipator ceramic bricks, with the new style ceramic plates that the newest version of my grill uses.
That all makes it sound easy but so much of the grill pieces were assembled with stainless steel screws and bolts and nuts and washers, and they were all thoroughly rusted into place. I spent a lot of time with the angle grinder cutoff wheel just sawing through stainless steel, and a lot of time with the Dremel tool and diamond cutoff wheels for the smaller more hard-to-reach places. Every single burner had to have the rusted-out bolts cut off, all three igniters had left rusted trim pieces bolted to the side, etc. It took a lot of time.
Total cost for materials came to just over $200. As discussed in this thread above, the cheapest whole drop-in replacement I could find, would have been $700 uninstalled. And the actual direct replacement for my exact grill, would have been around $4,000 uninstalled. This unit has extremely heavy duty cast stainless steel burners and the rest of it is very well built, so I'm pretty happy I went and rehabbed instead of buying a cheaper new one.
For anyone interested, I tried a dozen different ways to clean the stainless-- Barkeepers Friend, is definitely your friend.
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Nice job, I'm sure I could have tackled that but then I remember my playing days
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Well so far the time and money have paid off-- it's got my i s c & a aggie wife cooking a lot more. She's grilled something or other every single night since I finished the rebuild. Kababs, fajitas, hamburgers, and grilled chicken for salads (they can't all be winners).
I shoulda done this years ago!
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Pulling this thread back up to hold myself accountable to post pics of the work I'm doing on my new Library Wall in the Vinyl Lounge.
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hurry up or you'll have to dig 6 months for it again
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I came across these photos of the bookcase I mentioned, so I thought I'd post them here. I made a whole long post about this and when I went to add one of the last photos, poof, the whole browser tab was replaced by the photo and the post had vanished. Emotions ran high, things were said. So I'm just gonna post one photo at a time and try again.
I suck at image resizing, apparently, because no matter how I resize them on my computer I can't get them the size I want them when they post here. I also suck at photography, so some of the finished photos have a fish-lens effect because I couldn't back up very far from the bookcase, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it came out straight as a....um....board. The fish-lens thing makes it look warped and crooked.
It's made out of cypress wood and stained with Minwax's Red Mahogany color (I think). I originally wanted to do a satin finsh and was gonna rub out the lacquer finish quite a bit, but once I saw it, I quite liked the glossy lacquer look and so I left it that way.
This is my dad routing one of the trim pieces with a jig we made. He actually did all the routing so I can't take credit for any of that.
(https://i.imgur.com/4Pp5no5.jpeg)
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I don't actually remember what I was doing here. This was either clamping a trim piece for the glue to dry, or the start of another routing jig.
This is my grandpa's shop, btw, and he would roll over in his grave to see the mess it's fallen into and how it's been used for storage. Pardon the clutter.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZaeYMkO.jpeg)
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Working on a raised planter for my wife.
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Here's a couple of photos of the 24 hr period all the glued trim pieces were clamped and drying. The boards you see shooting up in the middle were my ghetto solution for not having clamps that could reach that far. I needed force bearing down on the middle and I noticed a support beam in the ceiling above me, so I wedged some 2x4's in between them. Probably not good woodworking technique, but it worked.
(https://i.imgur.com/HSvIBrC.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/BKgwcuP.jpeg)
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Here's the mostly finished frame all boxed in. This was before some of the border trim got cut out to make room for adding the front trim pieces.
(https://i.imgur.com/T1wwgeY.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GQJ2cm5.jpeg)
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This was after sanding and staining (obviously), and a lot of the lacquering too.
(https://i.imgur.com/9V62kLh.jpeg)
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This is the best picture I have with the least amount of angle distortion. This is where it currently sits in our entryway by the front door.
(https://i.imgur.com/uIUyl3W.jpeg)
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A couple of close-ups before it got filled up.
(https://i.imgur.com/11WrHJK.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/bL7awht.jpeg)
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I don't think these are my books and it's not what's on there now, but I think these are what my wife sent me when she had first put stuff on it. Kind of gives a better impression of how it looks full of stuff in the space it occupies.
(https://i.imgur.com/WdTeo2r.jpeg)
Actually, I can see from this second picture my stepson had put a bunch of his books on there.
(https://i.imgur.com/wbMGSOo.jpeg)
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.....and one final close up of what's on it today. You can see my wife's priorities and how she puts a lot of stuff that isn't books all over book shelves.
(https://i.imgur.com/oPh6xhk.jpeg)
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Final thoughts on that: I did a piss-poor job of lacquering the thing, and someday it needs to be redone. Mainly the problem is the uprights, which I stupidly lacquered, well, upright. Instead of turning the thing on it's side and applying the lacquer flat, as I now know I should have. It ran down the sides and I wasn't fully able to control it. You mostly can't see it, but in the morning when sunlight comes through the entryway just right, I can see the places it wasn't applied evenly, and it irritates the hell out of me. House lighting and even most of the natural light throughout the day doesn't show it, but I know it's there, and one day I'm going to strip it and redo it all.
The other problem was I lacquered it in very cold weather, which my dad told me not to do, but I was like "Nah....it'll be fine." That's what I get for not listening to the guy who actually has built a lot of things in his life. But overall, it was a good first attempt at a DIY project, and it's a pretty nice looking piece of furniture that I'm proud of.
...just as long as I don't look at it in the morning light.
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Looks really nice.
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It's 6 ft. x 4 ft., for scale.
One of the things I thought I might should've done differently when it was finished was to have included a decorative piece of vertical trim down the middle, splitting the case into left and right, which would've added stability to the shelves. 4 feet of books is a lot of weight and I worried that the shelves would bow and sag over time.
But it's been over 7 years and it appears the veneer I used for the back help it keep its shape well, and it gave me an extra axis to nail into which has done a good job of keeping the shelves level and sag-free.
They're nailed on the sides as well, but they're also routed into the uprights. Even if they had sagged, there's no way weight was ever going to make them fall apart.
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One of the things I thought I might should've done differently when it was finished was to have included a decorative piece of vertical trim down the middle, splitting the case into left and right, which would've added stability to the shelves. 4 feet of books is a lot of weight and I worried that the shelves would bow and sag over time.
We have an Ikea bookshelf which looks like it's not from Ikea--i.e. it looks much nicer than what you'd expect from them.
But it's relatively flimsy, and the shelves are just supported on all four corners by resting on metal studs that get inserted into the wood frame.
Well, the weight of enough books caused the back to bow out such that the metal studs spread to be wider than the shelf, and one fell. Thankfully no damage or anything, but needed a fix.
I ended up buying ~5 of these (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-LSTA-1-1-4-in-x-36-in-18-Gauge-Galvanized-Strap-Tie-LSTA36/100375213) and nailed them into the back to hold the two sides together, and now it's solid as a rock...
That's about the extent of my woodworking prowess :57:
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What's the most disastrous effort at a home improvement project that each of you has unsuccessfully undertaken?
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When I built our deck I wish I made it bigger.
When I finished our basement I wish I used drywall instead of a drop ceiling.
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When I finished our basement I wish I used drywall instead of a drop ceiling.
Maybe but over time much easier to get to shut offs and lighting connections with the drop
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That's about the extent of my woodworking prowess :57:
Engineering FTW!
I can't say anything. Lest I misrepresent myself, I did this with constant direction and supervision of my dad. And as noted, I got him to do all of the routing.
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What's the most disastrous effort at a home improvement project that each of you has unsuccessfully undertaken?
I like to think my best days are ahead of me.
That's my positive spin on expected future failures.
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The lil coop I made, from the other thread. It was just for 3 chickens. My friend was just starting out. Went over there for a few weekends. The long arms and wheels made it so you could move it wherever you wanted. Chickens got up and down okay and liked the middle area most.
Very rudimentary and she didn't want it finished or fancy.
Contained the chickens in a small footprint. Places to lay and retrieve the eggs. Mobile.
If I did it again, I'd extend the bottom portion to extend out to the ends of the handles, just for more room. Wouldn't change the functionality at all.
(https://i.imgur.com/DCBfUCo.jpeg)(https://i.imgur.com/NgJbmFC.jpeg)(https://i.imgur.com/W9u3PO3.jpeg)
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That's a great idea. I've never seen a mobile one before.
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The lil coop I made, from the other thread. It was just for 3 chickens. My friend was just starting out. Went over there for a few weekends. The long arms and wheels made it so you could move it wherever you wanted. Chickens got up and down okay and liked the middle area most.
Very rudimentary and she didn't want it finished or fancy.
Contained the chickens in a small footprint. Places to lay and retrieve the eggs. Mobile.
If I did it again, I'd extend the bottom portion to extend out to the ends of the handles, just for more room. Wouldn't change the functionality at all.
(https://i.imgur.com/DCBfUCo.jpeg)(https://i.imgur.com/NgJbmFC.jpeg)(https://i.imgur.com/W9u3PO3.jpeg)
DIY is a giant middle finger to the egg lobby.
Well done, my friend.
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Vinyl Lounge Library Wall project is coming along nicely. I completed all construction last weekend and secured the stacks to the walls. I have all of the face frame trim purchased and rough cut to size, I'm in the process of painting it right now and I'll have it installed by the end of the week.
I also have all electrical routed through the built-ins, had to make sure that was correct before securing everything together and to the walls, don't want any "oops" re-routes that don't look tidy. All electrical fixtures will install after the final trim work is done.
And then some final hardware pieces to be installed after all of that. Should be complete by the end of the weekend.
I've been taking a few pictures as I went along, not really many, I always forget when I'm focused on the work. But I'll post up what I've got when it's done.
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Silly Gen-Xers.
Don't even know that if they do something and don't take a lot of pictures to post on Insta, it doesn't even count.
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Silly Gen-Xers.
Don't even know that if they do something and don't take a lot of pictures to post on Insta, it doesn't even count.
Yeah I've always thought about putting together a youtube channel with a vlog of my work, but if I can't even be bothered to take still pictures, there's no way I'm gonna take the time to video record and edit all of the stuff.
I might have the patience for putting together some Tiktoks, someday.
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Silly Gen-Xers.
Don't even know that if they do something and don't take a lot of pictures to post on Insta, it doesn't even count.
I really had to dig for those pics, lol.
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OK well here goes nothing.
The Project: Convert a front formal living room into a Vinyl Lounge with a Library Wall.
The Method: Use a couple of standard Ikea bookcases and hack them into something that looks built-in.
The Requirements: Must house a turntable, amp, two floor speakers, and a subwoofer. Plus some books and photos and knick-knacks. And must have a space for a console piano (to be moved over from my parents' house in the near future).
The Before: Not a great shot, admittedly. I never remember to take a detailed Before shot, but this is a 12x14 room with a 10' ceiling, this vintage cabinet is what we use as a bar and along with the mirror is the only thing on the far wall from the entrance, there's an antique couch on the right side and two chairs on the left, one antique and one newer.
(https://i.imgur.com/VYPb6BZ.jpeg)
The After (the piano will go where the antique bar cabinet currently sits):
(https://i.imgur.com/1wUReSd.jpeg)
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The steps:
Build two Ikea bookcases and put them on the far wall at either side (I'm looking at the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways). Test-fit some tchotchkes to try to sell the whole plan to the i s c & a aggie wife (represented by her foot in bottom photo).
(https://i.imgur.com/8r3sUVr.jpeg)
(https://i.imgur.com/nSGwZhh.jpeg)
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Build a 2x4 frame that spans across the tops of the two Ikea bookcases and lag-screws into the wall studs, to support the top portion of the cabinetry, and tie the entire unit together as a built-in. Build and test-fit the two custom outer upper cabinets, built from simple whitewood 1x12.
(https://i.imgur.com/8hdFuD8.jpeg)
Test-fitting all 4 custom top cabinets:
(https://i.imgur.com/40Fdgx5.jpeg)
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Now with the uppers stained in walnut finish to match. The color is close, the wood is unsurprisingly warmer than the faux walnut veneer on the Ikea cabinetry, but once it's all loaded with stuff, we won't even notice.
(https://i.imgur.com/wuKMSmP.jpeg)
Adding the pre-painted 1x6 and 1x3 MDF face frames to cover the 2x4 support structure and edges of the storebought bookcases"
(https://i.imgur.com/b2r82BC.jpeg)
And adding some blocking to the top, to support the eventual upper face frame:
(https://i.imgur.com/OP96OmU.jpeg)
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Adding the top face frame trim piece, with vintage industrial library lights mounted through it, and the side lights also mounted and lit up.
(https://i.imgur.com/5y5Qhqs.jpeg)
And now the crown molding at the very top
(https://i.imgur.com/Re44Bwd.jpeg)
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Left side stack all finished, with the base molding detail shown. It houses the left side stereo floor speaker and the subwoofer, which I've covered with some walnut veneer:
(https://i.imgur.com/m0kJNsR.jpeg)
Right side stack all finished, it houses the right side stereo floor speaker, the turntable, and the amplifier. I built out the shelf for the turntable and amp since they're around 15" deep while the bookcase is only 11" deep.
(https://i.imgur.com/Yb1WAUF.png)
And the After picture once again:
(https://i.imgur.com/c154JVT.jpeg)
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nice work
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Indeed, that's awesome. I like the rod for high-reaching stability.
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Indeed, that's awesome. I like the rod for high-reaching stability.
Thanks! My 15yo son is really into exercise and working out, and asked if it's a pull-up bar. I mean, I guess it could be. :)
It's actually a bar to support a rolling library ladder, but the space is small enough I'm not sure I'll ever build the ladder itself.
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I was originally going to put doors with woven wicker fronts on the bottom portions of the tall vertical bookcases, where the floor speakers go. But my 17yo daughter saw the speakers without their front grills and noticed that the walnut veneers were a perfect match for the rest of the woodwork, and she also thought the fronts with the exposed speaker cones were "fire" so I decided to just go with it. Saved me a couple hundred bucks in materials and probably 3 or 4 hours of paint and prep, so, bonus.
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don't want that wicker soaking up the sound
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don't want that wicker soaking up the sound
It's practically invisible as an acoustical barrier. That's why it was so common in the 60s and 70s when people hid their speakers in their hi-fi credenzas.
But if the look of the exposed loudspeakers is "fire" to the kids, then I'm cool with it.
She's already used the room several times when having friends over, they get a kick out of the turntable and CD player, actually having to pick out and handle the vinyl or the CD.
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Oh and both kids actually came in on Sunday and spent an hour or two reading with me. Picking out records or CDs, playing music, and reading. It was really a lot of fun.
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just like the good old days
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Amen brutha.
Now that I have a separate room for the hi-fi, I've moved the turntable and amp and speakers out of the great room. If I had NOT built the separate Vinyl Lounge with library wall, my plan was to build a mid-century modern hi-fi credenza. I've always wanted to build something like this. I might do it anyway and just use it as a buffet/sideboard.
Something along these lines...
(https://i.imgur.com/6FjqXNp.png)
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Next up, I've got to finish the built-in wardrobe project in the master bedroom. I completed the wardrobes and we moved a lot of our clothes/accessories into them around 2 years ago, but I got stumped trying to work out the details of some of the finishing trim work and wasn't sure I could pull it off. Specifically, mating new crown molding along the wardrobe wall, to the existing crown molding already running along the side walls. This requires some pretty extensive coping, which is not my strength.
I've built the entire assembly so that it can be fairly easily removed by any future owners, so I didn't want to cut into the existing crown molding. Rather, since the wardrobes effectively pull the rear wall forward by about 2', I just left the original crown molding back there, sitting just above the height of the wardrobes. The new crown molding at the front of the wardrobes will just intersect the existing side-wall crown molding at a new point. Visually it will look as if it terminates right there, while only I will know that it actually continues down each side wall all the way to the rear wall, where the backs of the wardrobes are also secured. The added complication is that there is a tray ceiling and the wardrobes just fit in under the edge of the dropped portion, before it rises another foot from a 9' to a 10' ceiling.
All of that to say, I got scared. :)
The base molding was easy, I completed it within a day or two of assembling the wardrobes. But the crown molding stumped me, I didn't want it to look cheesy, and so I balked. I actually called out two of my normal carpenter/trim guys who've done work for me before in our rentals, and they're very reasonably priced in general, but they wanted quite a bit for what I know would just be less than an hour's worth of work for them, at their experience level. I know, I know-- I'd be paying for the experience and the result, not the time. But dropping that much money when I feel like I should be able to do it myself, is tough.
So anyway, given my fresh experience on the library wall, I think I'm ready to go back and tackle that project again, on my own. Maybe...
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Oh and both kids actually came in on Sunday and spent an hour or two reading with me. Picking out records or CDs, playing music, and reading. It was really a lot of fun.
My students enjoyed exploring tapes, CDs, and records. 2 even opened up the record player and observed each music type being played from the inside.
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Now that I'm finally finished with the library wall in the Vinyl Lounge, I have a couple other small projects lined up.
The kitchen vent hood is janky, the light stopped working 4 or 5 years ago, and the fan motor sounds like it's on its last legs. Additionally, the gas cooktop itself is getting king of worn. It still works fine, but all of the markings are long since gone, it has some pretty deep scratches in the stainless that aren't going to buff out easy, and it's an odd configuration where 4 burners sit to one side, and the controls take up way too much space on the other side.
I'm going to replace them both with more modern, updated stainless appliances. The hood will be a more heavy duty, commercial model, and the cooktop will have 5 burners with the controls at the bottom in a configuration that makes much more sense.
Also, the downstairs guest bathroom needs to be painted and I think I'm going to change out all of the hardware and fixtures, and maybe put some board and batten paneling on the feature wall.
Pictures to come, I should be able to knock out some of that this weekend.
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When I have a "forever house" I hope to have a nice powerful range, with one burner that is "wok ready" output.
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When I have a "forever house" I hope to have a nice powerful range, with one burner that is "wok ready" output.
Word.
The cooktop I'm looking at has a center burner that is 20,000 BTU. It should do the trick.
Edit: Hmmm, doing a quick google search says commercial wok burners go from 50,000 to 100,000. I don't think any of the internal gas lines in my home would support anything like that, I'd likely have to make a fresh run from the meter. I guess I'll have to settle for a paltry 20K...
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Now that I'm finally finished with the library wall in the Vinyl Lounge, I have a couple other small projects lined up.
The kitchen vent hood is janky, the light stopped working 4 or 5 years ago, and the fan motor sounds like it's on its last legs. Additionally, the gas cooktop itself is getting king of worn. It still works fine, but all of the markings are long since gone, it has some pretty deep scratches in the stainless that aren't going to buff out easy, and it's an odd configuration where 4 burners sit to one side, and the controls take up way too much space on the other side.
I'm going to replace them both with more modern, updated stainless appliances. The hood will be a more heavy duty, commercial model, and the cooktop will have 5 burners with the controls at the bottom in a configuration that makes much more sense.
Also, the downstairs guest bathroom needs to be painted and I think I'm going to change out all of the hardware and fixtures, and maybe put some board and batten paneling on the feature wall.
Pictures to come, I should be able to knock out some of that this weekend.
For the hood.. Kucht. I love it. Mine is the outdoor stainless model (salt air). The regular one is below.
KRH4815A – With Color Options – KUCHT Professional (https://kucht.com/online/product/krh4815a-color-series/)
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Word.
The cooktop I'm looking at has a center burner that is 20,000 BTU. It should do the trick.
I recommend Wolf. It's what I would have if we had NG available here.
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Woo, you have some expensive tastes, bf. :)
We're probably moving out of this house in 4-5 years so I'm not going to go crazy with the appliances. Just something that'll do the trick. The next owner can install the true commercial stuff if they want (and in our next home, I'll probably do the same!).
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Wolf
Wolf 48" Sealed Burner Rangetop - 4 Burners and Wok Burner (SRT484W) (https://www.subzero-wolf.com/wolf/cooktops-and-rangetops/range-top/48-inch-sealed-burner-rangetop-4-burners-wok)
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Woo, you have some expensive tastes, bf. :)
We're probably moving out of this house in 4-5 years so I'm not going to go crazy with the appliances. Just something that'll do the trick. The next owner can install the true commercial stuff if they want (and in our next home, I'll probably do the same!).
It's an acquired taste. :72:
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Adding the top face frame trim piece, with vintage industrial library lights mounted through it, and the side lights also mounted and lit up.
(https://i.imgur.com/5y5Qhqs.jpeg)
And now the crown molding at the very top
(https://i.imgur.com/Re44Bwd.jpeg)
Did you have to run wiring for the new lights and install a switch?
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It's also only a 30" space for a cooktop and hood, so the really big commercial stuff won't fit, anyway.
Something like this:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-30-in-5-Burners-Stainless-Steel-Gas-Cooktop-Common-30-in-Actual-30-in/1000295477
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It's also only a 30" space for a cooktop and hood, so the really big commercial stuff won't fit, anyway.
Something like this:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/GE-30-in-5-Burners-Stainless-Steel-Gas-Cooktop-Common-30-in-Actual-30-in/1000295477
GE Cafe is good stuff. It's what we had before the Wolf and Sub Zero.
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Did you have to run wiring for the new lights and install a switch?
Yes, new wiring runs from a standard outlet behind that antique bar cabinet (and eventually behind the piano that will replace it) in a special track along the baseboard, into the chase (open area) behind each vertical stack, and up to the side lights, and also up to the top lights. I was originally going to hardwire a switch into the cabinetry, but then I decided to install smart plugs at the wall plate and so now it's either app-controlled from your phone, or voice-controlled from the Amazon Alexa device installed alongside the amplifier and turntable.
ETA: The wireless smart plugs are also dimmable and I have them on two separate circuits, so you can operate the top lights and side lights independently, and you can get a decent range from around 30%-100%. Anything lower than 30% doesn't really work with the vintage-style Edison LED bulbs I used.
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Yeah, I'm out at the first sign of any electrical jobs.
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Yeah, I'm out at the first sign of any electrical jobs.
I'm out at plumbing / pipefitting.
As an electrical engineer, I know what I'm doing enough not to kill myself or light my house on fire. I'm sure utee is the same.
But the idea of anything involving potential water damage or natural gas fires is a big fat nope. I'll pay a pro.
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I ran gas, plumbing and electric when I did my basement.
NEW plumbing is not a problem. I just ain't crawling under any sinks anymore. I write checks.
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Yeah, I'm out at the first sign of any electrical jobs.
I'm pretty good with electrical stuff, but this was super-easy. I didn't have to open any walls because the bookshelves themselves have a "hollow" bit behind them-- they don't sit flush against the wall because I left the base molding and chair rail molding intact, and then coped the bookcase face-frame trim around the moldings to make it look built-in against the wall.
For the wiring I just used standard off-the-shelf extension cords, cut off the ends, and wired them directly into the bases of the light fixtures. You don't even need to turn a circuit breaker off because as you work, you can just leave the cord unplugged from the wall. Then plug it in and test your work. It's a little more expensive than buying romex and running it straight, but not a whole lot more, and it's way easier than creating multiple junctions and terminations with the romex.
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I've replaced gas appliances numerous times. Modern houses have a cutoff valve at every appliance, so all you have to do is switch that valve to "off" and then you can unfasten the existing pipes and fittings, and replace with new. For water connections I'm fine with using teflon tape to seal the threads but for gas appliances I use the squeeze bottle pipe dope-- it's thick nasty stuff that you don't want to get on your hands or tools because it's tough to come off even using gasoline as a solvent-- but it takes care of things.
Just make your connections (always use a main wrench and a backing wrench with plumbing), turn the gas back on, leak check with some soapy water, and when that tests okay, you're good to go.
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Water plumbing doesn't bother me, but getting into the walls to do it does, because I'm kinda crap at carpentry and thus fixing anything I tear up to do the job to look nice again.
But if it's sinks, toilets, or anything outside I can dig up and just put dirt and grass back on top of and be happy, I'm okay doing that.
Although I'd rather not, and am inclined to take Badger's approach. I was fortunate a while back to find a plumber who has very reasonable rates.
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Yeah I'm good with carpentry but terrible with sheetrock. Anything that requires going into a wall, is going to get hired out by me.
I got so much really valuable experience when I restored the vintage Airstream. I had to do everything on it. I rewired about half of it, completely replumbed all of the water lines, and completely replumbed all of the propane gas lines as well. Plus all of the new build and restorative carpentry. I made plenty of mistakes but it's such a small space, it's easy to fix them.
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My dad's business was taking care of Rental Property so I was an assistant plumber/electrician/carpenter/drywaller/painter from the time I could walk.
As such, commenting on the comments above about electrical/plumbing:
Electrical:
For a complete novice, I think the biggest thing to understand is the difference between 220 and 120. If you screw up with 120, you'll shock yourself. It really doesn't hurt and almost certainly wont kill you. One of the older electricians I worked with tested circuits by putting his thumb on one wire and running his finger across the other. If it buzzed him, it was live. 220 is a completely different animal, it can kill you. When I do 120 projects I almost always do them hot (breaker on) so that I know if it is working or not. When I do anything 220, I do that cold then turn the breaker on after I am completely done.
Another thing about electrical that will help you if you hadn't already thought of it is this: ALWAYS START AT THE END. Ie, lets say you are popping breakers in your kitchen so you want to add a new breaker and circuit. If you start at the breaker box and work your way out to the kitchen, everything is hot from the start. Instead, start in the kitchen and work back to the breaker box. Even if you don't want to do ANYTHING hot that is fine, have an electrician come in and hook up the breaker but everything beyond that is already done. Saves a lot of money without actually doing ANYTHING hot.
Plumbing:
It amazes me how much this has changed in my lifetime. When I was a kid we did drains in cast iron. A 10' stick of 4" Cast Iron Sewer weighs 170.9 lbs (I had to look that up, I only knew that they were freaking heavy). Lifting those onto threaders and then lifting them into place and threading them together was backbreaking work. According to the interwebs a 10' stick of 4" PVC sewer pipe weighs 10 to 14 pounds. Oh, and you don't have to thread the pipes anymore, just smear adhesive on the ends and stick them together.
I've said many times that modern technology led to women's lib. When I was a little kid there weren't any female plumbers. It wasn't so much because they weren't allowed as because how many women do you know that can lift up their end of a 171# stick of sewer pipe?
Anyway, I've done lots of plumbing with Iron Sewer Pipes and, in the old days, galvanized supplies. Then Copper. Now I have a pex tool and I'm pretty sure everything I've installed in the last 10 years probably weighed less than 171#.
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Yeah I'm good with carpentry but terrible with sheetrock. Anything that requires going into a wall, is going to get hired out by me.
I got so much really valuable experience when I restored the vintage Airstream. I had to do everything on it. I rewired about half of it, completely replumbed all of the water lines, and completely replumbed all of the propane gas lines as well. Plus all of the new build and restorative carpentry. I made plenty of mistakes but it's such a small space, it's easy to fix them.
I forget what kind of engineer you are--if I ever knew--but I always just assume engineers know a lot about wiring stuff.
My oldest stepson went to a trade school for something like an electrician degree, but he was also learning some type of programming, an aspect he liked better. He did electrical work for a while when he started out, but now he's moved into robotics programming, which he's happier with and seems to pay more. He's rather sharp at anything electric-related around the house and I've gotten him to help me a few times with some stuff that needed doing. The problem is he stays so busy that it's hard to nail him down on what little free time he has.....and I get it....nobody wants to help their stepdad fix wiring on their day off. The other problem is it's a little bit humiliating to have to depend on people way younger than you to help you fix your life.
"Honey, we have to fix this and I don't know how. Let's call the kid and see if he can come over." Le sigh.
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Oh, gas was also mentioned:
Gas isn't nearly as hard nor as dangerous as people think. There are high-pressure lines that they use to transport gas around the country, those are dangerous but the gas in your house is at >1psi. That is nothing. The gas company tests for leaks by pressurizing the house to (IIRC 120PSI) then just waiting. If the pressure holds the system is good to go. If not, there is a leak.
Anyway, my dad taught me to check for leaks using the plumbing torch. That sounds crazy until you understand it. The danger with gas is accumulation. If you do have a leak in something you just put it, using the torch to test will identify the leak. It will just flame up (very small flame) from the leak. Then you fix it by shutting everything back off and tightening that joint. The danger, like I said, is accumulation. If you DO NOT check for leaks and it just leaks into your house, that gas will accumulate until it hits a spark then explode.
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Yeah I'm good with carpentry but terrible with sheetrock. Anything that requires going into a wall, is going to get hired out by me.
Years ago my brother and I were working on something and I did the sheetrock because he said I was better at it. My (then) g/f heard this and said "No you aren't, he just doesn't like doing it."
She kinda had a point. I've done LOTS of drywall over the years and I can if I have to but I REALLY hate it. I don't know a lot of people who don't.
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My dad's business was taking care of Rental Property so I was an assistant plumber/electrician/carpenter/drywaller/painter from the time I could walk.
As such, commenting on the comments above about electrical/plumbing:
Electrical:
For a complete novice, I think the biggest thing to understand is the difference between 220 and 120. If you screw up with 120, you'll shock yourself. It really doesn't hurt and almost certainly wont kill you. One of the older electricians I worked with tested circuits by putting his thumb on one wire and running his finger across the other. If it buzzed him, it was live. 220 is a completely different animal, it can kill you. When I do 120 projects I almost always do them hot (breaker on) so that I know if it is working or not. When I do anything 220, I do that cold then turn the breaker on after I am completely done.
Another thing about electrical that will help you if you hadn't already thought of it is this: ALWAYS START AT THE END. Ie, lets say you are popping breakers in your kitchen so you want to add a new breaker and circuit. If you start at the breaker box and work your way out to the kitchen, everything is hot from the start. Instead, start in the kitchen and work back to the breaker box. Even if you don't want to do ANYTHING hot that is fine, have an electrician come in and hook up the breaker but everything beyond that is already done. Saves a lot of money without actually doing ANYTHING hot.
Plumbing:
It amazes me how much this has changed in my lifetime. When I was a kid we did drains in cast iron. A 10' stick of 4" Cast Iron Sewer weighs 170.9 lbs (I had to look that up, I only knew that they were freaking heavy). Lifting those onto threaders and then lifting them into place and threading them together was backbreaking work. According to the interwebs a 10' stick of 4" PVC sewer pipe weighs 10 to 14 pounds. Oh, and you don't have to thread the pipes anymore, just smear adhesive on the ends and stick them together.
I've said many times that modern technology led to women's lib. When I was a little kid there weren't any female plumbers. It wasn't so much because they weren't allowed as because how many women do you know that can lift up their end of a 171# stick of sewer pipe?
Anyway, I've done lots of plumbing with Iron Sewer Pipes and, in the old days, galvanized supplies. Then Copper. Now I have a pex tool and I'm pretty sure everything I've installed in the last 10 years probably weighed less than 171#.
Yeah PEX made all of the supply line plumbing in the Airstream SO easy. In 1963 all of the supply was copper pipe, fitted and sweated by hand. Over the years, on my 26' trailer that had spent time in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, California, and Georgia, much of that copper had burst or rotted away, and been replaced with an astonishing collection of galvanized pipe, DWV-rated PVC, and even some electrical conduit (no lie) mostly interconnected using automobile heater hose and clamps.
It was quite satisfying to rip all of that out and replace it with long, clean, fresh runs of PEX. I used crimp connections for most of it, but in a few places where I expected I might need regular access, I used the sharkbite fittings and just checked them for tightness about once per year. It worked great and was so easy!
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We got a home generator about 6 months ago, and the gas company evidently ran a high pressure line to the unit, which it's not supposed to have. When they went to fire it up it kept not working and finally they realized a low-pressure line was supposed to be run from the city hookups, but instead a high-pressure line had been run. They had to put a limiter at the generator in order for it to work, so that the entire line didn't have to be dug up again and redone.
I'm glad I don't understand it more, because I'm not sure I'd sleep as well if I did, knowing that a high pressure gas line is running across my yard, to right near the house.
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I forget what kind of engineer you are--if I ever knew--but I always just assume engineers know a lot about wiring stuff.
University of Texas Electrical Engineer, 1994. ;)
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We got a home generator about 6 months ago, and the gas company evidently ran a high pressure line to the unit, which it's not supposed to have. When they went to fire it up it kept not working and finally they realized a low-pressure line was supposed to be run from the city hookups, but instead a high-pressure line had been run. They had to put a limiter at the generator in order for it to work, so that the entire line didn't have to be dug up again and redone.
I'm glad I don't understand it more, because I'm not sure I'd sleep as well if I did, knowing that a high pressure gas line is running across my yard, to right near the house.
call before you dig
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Yeah PEX made all of the supply line plumbing in the Airstream SO easy. In 1963 all of the supply was copper pipe, fitted and sweated by hand. Over the years, on my 26' trailer that had spent time in Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, California, and Georgia, much of that copper had burst or rotted away, and been replaced with an astonishing collection of galvanized pipe, DWV-rated PVC, and even some electrical conduit (no lie) mostly interconnected using automobile heater hose and clamps.
It was quite satisfying to rip all of that out and replace it with long, clean, fresh runs of PEX. I used crimp connections for most of it, but in a few places where I expected I might need regular access, I used the sharkbite fittings and just checked them for tightness about once per year. It worked great and was so easy!
I'm sure that made it a LOT easier.
We have some REALLY old, pre-Civil War buildings. The place more than any other that I wish I'd had pex was running a replacement supply in a building that was originally built in the 1830's.
To explain this building, it was built sometime in the 1830's (that is a guess but based on pretty solid information). Sometime in the early 1900's the original house was moved back about 60'. The original house was very close to the street which, in 1830 was just a walking/horse path but by the early 1900's it was a busy street and after Henry Ford's Model T came out it became crowded with cars so they built a brand new foundation well behind the existing house then moved the house back to the new foundation. Thus, the foundation of the old part of the house is from the 1920's. The old part of the house is ~90 years older. Then it was added on to in the 1940's, 1950's, and 1960's so it is just a mess to work on because there are four different sets of foundation and everything has been added onto. Today it is commercial downstairs and an apartment upstairs.
The joists in the basement of the original house literally have bark on them. In the 1830's they just cut down trees, shaped the ends, and stuck them in. Anyway, at one point I had to replace a water supply for the upstairs apartment and doing this required navigating around bark-covered floor joists then through walls with additions so I had to install about 20' of 3/4" copper using about two dozen elbows with all 48 joints sweated together. It is REALLY hard to solder pipe that close to very old and VERY dry wood without setting things on fire.
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University of Texas Electrical Engineer, 1994. ;)
I honestly never realized that. I just thought "tee" was a phonetic spelling of "T".
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I honestly never realized that. I just thought "tee" was a phonetic spelling of "T".
That works, too! I started using it on the old cnn/si message forums in 1995, shortly after I graduated. At the time I worried that specifying the 94 graduation year made me seem too young. Now, I definitely don't have that problem.
As for the old bark-joists, I've seen that kind of stuff on This Old House and other reno shows where they are dealing with centuries-old construction. It's really wild, but also really cool, to see it. Definitely wouldn't want to solder next to it though!
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I honestly never realized that. I just thought "tee" was a phonetic spelling of "T".
Kinda what I always assumed. I also misread Erin's name for a long time. I read the "UTer" in UTerin03 as in a person of or from UT, like a person of or from the Highlands is a Highlander. UTer in '03. Nope, she was telling us her name and I just missed it.
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Anyway, I've done lots of plumbing with Iron Sewer Pipes and, in the old days, galvanized supplies. Then Copper. Now I have a pex tool and I'm pretty sure everything I've installed in the last 10 years probably weighed less than 171#.
Pex is the way to go. I've switched from CPVC and Copper, to almost solely PEX. It is so much easier to work with.
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That works, too! I started using it on the old cnn/si message forums in 1995, shortly after I graduated. At the time I worried that specifying the 94 graduation year made me seem too young. Now, I definitely don't have that problem.
As for the old bark-joists, I've seen that kind of stuff on This Old House and other reno shows where they are dealing with centuries-old construction. It's really wild, but also really cool, to see it. Definitely wouldn't want to solder next to it though!
I have a friend that bought a house that was built in the late 1800's. He had to replace the roof. When they tore the old room off, they encountered 2 inch thick walnut 2 ft by 8 ft planking covering the roof. If is wasn't for all of the nails, he could have made a fortune selling all of that walnut.
It that house, it appears that they just cut up trees that were available on the lot.
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As for the old bark-joists, I've seen that kind of stuff on This Old House and other reno shows where they are dealing with centuries-old construction. It's really wild, but also really cool, to see it. Definitely wouldn't want to solder next to it though!
I have a friend that bought a house that was built in the late 1800's. He had to replace the roof. When they tore the old room off, they encountered 2 inch thick walnut 2 ft by 8 ft planking covering the roof. If is wasn't for all of the nails, he could have made a fortune selling all of that walnut.
It that house, it appears that they just cut up trees that were available on the lot.
You DEFINITELY don't want to solder next to it. Those logs have been drying out for ~200 years so they are REALLY flammable.
You also don't want to have to drill through it. On that building the sill plate is a solid hunk of wood. I don't know if I explained that well but instead of having a 2x8 flat on top of the blocks then a 2x10 (or 12) sitting up on the outside, it is just one giant roughly 12x12 hunk of oak. My dad and I installed an outdoor spigot for the tenant many years ago and to do that we had to drill through that enormous hunk of oak. It took half a day and several drillbits.
You are absolutely right @NorthernOhioBuckeye (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=40) , back then they were clearing lots to make farmland anyway so wood was CHEAP and widely available.
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You DEFINITELY don't want to solder next to it. Those logs have been drying out for ~200 years so they are REALLY flammable.
You also don't want to have to drill through it. On that building the sill plate is a solid hunk of wood. I don't know if I explained that well but instead of having a 2x8 flat on top of the blocks then a 2x10 (or 12) sitting up on the outside, it is just one giant roughly 12x12 hunk of oak. My dad and I installed an outdoor spigot for the tenant many years ago and to do that we had to drill through that enormous hunk of oak. It took half a day and several drillbits.
You are absolutely right @NorthernOhioBuckeye (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=40) , back then they were clearing lots to make farmland anyway so wood was CHEAP and widely available.
Yeah I can only imagine.
The toughest wood I've ever had to drill through was some ironwood (aka Ipe) planks I used to replace the old rotten deck in my 4x8 cargo trailer. After going through a couple of different iterations of marine grade plywood 4x8 decks that still rotted out after only a few years each, I finally went and bought a bunch of 5/4x6x8 ironwood deck boards. Drilling through all of the steel in the trailer was far, far easier than drilling through that ironwood. I went through a few bits that day.
But that was over 20 years ago and the deck is still just as solid as the day I installed it.
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In other news, my wife and I bought a raised bed planter at Costco and I assembled it by myself, with no assistance at all. It looks nice anyway. $150 I think, made in Canada.
It bragged no tools needed, but I used a rubber coated hammer for part of it.
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In other news, my wife and I bought a raised bed planter at Costco and I assembled it by myself, with no assistance at all. It looks nice anyway. $150 I think, made in Canada.
It bragged no tools needed, but I used a rubber coated hammer for part of it.
I just put together the same thing for my wife.
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I once was modestly handy. I've installed garbage disposals, microwave ovens, fixed an on demand water heater we had once a year, changed spark plugs, fixed the snow blower, even changed windshield wipers. Now, I'm depleted, I do almost nothing (but post here all day).
I recall this time of year when I was coaching what a pain it was to reschedule baseball games and also find time to mow the lawn which seemed to grow by leaps and bounds (maybe because the week before I had fertilized it and then it rained for three days). I also recall sitting down at my desk to pay bills, remember that? I had to write out a check and put it in some envelop with a stamp.
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Saturday morning I fixed a couple sections of the backyard fence where the rails had become unmoored from the posts. I really should've replaced some of the boards too, but I didn't have any and didn't feel like driving into town to buy any. Tore a couple of them up pretty good in spots with a cat's paw getting them off in the first place......didn't care. Put them right back up. That part of the fence is behind a bunch of giant loropetalums....nobody ever sees it anyway.
I keep having to redo parts of that fence because the geniuses who built it nailed it all together. You don't nail fences together in my part of the country.
That job is about a 0.2 on the DIY scale from 1 to 10. But I did it, and I just wanted to participate in the thread :)
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I didn't take any pictures but I did purchase and install a new gas cooktop and new vent hood a couple of weeks ago. Super easy projects, cooktop is just a drop-in replacement and the gas line has a cutoff valve right there in the under-cabinet so it was simple to disconnect the old lines, install the new lines with pipe dope, and clamp in the new appliance.
For the vent hood install, the new one was made to connect in a slightly different way than the interesting "custom job" the original builder of my house used, so I did have to install some new blocking between the bottom of the cabinet and the top of the hood, for stability. I also had to slightly re-route the exhaust tubing but that was really easy with some aluminum flashing and aluminum tape I had handy (left over from the Airstream project years ago).
The new cooktop has a 20,000 BTU center burner, man it heats up a big stockpot of water quick.
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the geniuses who built it nailed it all together.
My wife and her ex were the geniuses. Should any of you ever meet her, just keep that part of the conversation to yourself.
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For the vent hood install,
Over our stove is a mounted microwave. It has vents, but the whole thing is worthless because there's no duct vent to funnel out steam. I'd like to get the price for what it would cost me to have someone fix that whole thing, but there's so many other things I need to get done around this place, that probably ain't happening anytime soon. That's likely way more DIY than I have in me.
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I'll simply let her know that you've referred to her as a genius
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Over our stove is a mounted microwave. It has vents, but the whole thing is worthless because there's no duct vent to funnel out steam. I'd like to get the price for what it would cost me to have someone fix that whole thing, but there's so many other things I need to get done around this place, that probably ain't happening anytime soon. That's likely way more DIY than I have in me.
Yeah I've replaced/installed new microwaves/vents as well, both in my rentals, and in my dad's house.
If you don't have duct work to vent to the outside then you're stuck with a "recirculating vent" solution. There's typically a charcoal filter that's installed in those systems. I've never found them to be particularly effective, everything still gets pretty greasy.
If your vent hood is on an exterior wall and that part of the house is siding rather than masonry, installing ductwork wouldn't be so bad. If it's on an interior wall or the exterior is masonry, then it's a lot tougher job.
In my current house the vent hood is against an exterior masonry wall, but part of the original build was ducting that exhaust to an exterior vent, so I didn't have any tough stuff to deal with. Just a slight re-route of the ducting in the cabinet immediately over the hood.
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I installed a new stove and vent. I was VERY disappointed to find out I had a "recirculating vent"
The back wall is an exterior wall with siding, but into my attached garage.
I could have vented into the garage but took the easy way out and just replaced the "recirculating vent" - easy and less expensive
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Our house in Cincy originally had a down draft cooktop vent, since replaced. We redid the kitchen and got an induction cooktop and the plumbing was still there for a downdraft vent and my wife wanted one (I think they are mostly ineffective). It was very cute, you pushed a button and the vent would rise up from behind the cooktop and then suck.
Except, in fairly short order, it would hang up, sometimes open, sometimes half open. I went at it with silicone and adjustments, and finally called someone who replaced the motor. It still got hung up. I don't advise them.
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I installed a new stove and vent. I was VERY disappointed to find out I had a "recirculating vent"
That's what we have here, it's useless I think. There isn't a way to vent outside.
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useless is correct
I pulled it out and thought what the hell??, might as well not waste the space and power
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If your vent hood is on an exterior wall and that part of the house is siding rather than masonry, installing ductwork wouldn't be so bad. If it's on an interior wall or the exterior is masonry, then it's a lot tougher job.
Exterior wall, but it's bricked.
It's possible a new microwave might improve something. The current one has the charcoal recirculating thing--which I don't understand--but I'm not sure what effect it might have because the vent seems to have no suction. It switches on and makes noise, but it doesn't draw steam from the stovetop in the least.
That microwave is gonna have to be replaced before long. I'm not familiar enough with microwaves to know why they would degrade rather than just work or not work, but it's taking increasingly long to heat our food. Plus, the door already came loose once and I had to re-secure the hinges with a rivet gun because once the hinges go bad, you can't get to them to do anything about it. It's a little bit ghetto. I wonder if a new microwave would help.
As far as the "recirculating" part, I suppose the filters are supposed to trap the vapor somehow and it theoretically dumps dryer air back out?
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Our house in Cincy originally had a down draft cooktop vent, since replaced. We redid the kitchen and got an induction cooktop and the plumbing was still there for a downdraft vent and my wife wanted one (I think they are mostly ineffective). It was very cute, you pushed a button and the vent would rise up from behind the cooktop and then suck.
Except, in fairly short order, it would hang up, sometimes open, sometimes half open. I went at it with silicone and adjustments, and finally called someone who replaced the motor. It still got hung up. I don't advise them.
My MIL had one of those in their last house (when still in OR). They had a kitchen island cooktop in that house, so I suppose the previous/original owner wanted to not have a giant vent hanging down in the middle of the kitchen--although that looks like a chef's kitchen these days lol.
I never heard of them having issues with it coming up/out of the countertop, but I also am not quite sure it was particularly useful at actually sucking away any of the products of cooking...
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Exterior wall, but it's bricked.
It's possible a new microwave might improve something. The current one has the charcoal recirculating thing--which I don't understand--but I'm not sure what effect it might have because the vent seems to have no suction. It switches on and makes noise, but it doesn't draw steam from the stovetop in the least.
That microwave is gonna have to be replaced before long. I'm not familiar enough with microwaves to know why they would degrade rather than just work or not work, but it's taking increasingly long to heat our food. Plus, the door already came loose once and I had to re-secure the hinges with a rivet gun because once the hinges go bad, you can't get to them to do anything about it. It's a little bit ghetto. I wonder if a new microwave would help.
As far as the "recirculating" part, I suppose the filters are supposed to trap the vapor somehow and it theoretically dumps dryer air back out?
It's not so much vapor but grease/oil that the charcoal filter is supposed to capture and then return cleaner air into the kitchen. IMO they don't work very well. It's possible that a new microwave with a new vent fan motor would be stronger and provide better suction, but I honestly don't think it makes much of a difference regarding how clean the air is, that is recirculated. The whole thing is just kind of worthless.
A pro can probably cut a vent hole to the exterior through the masonry, but it's likely not cheap. I wouldn't want to do that as a DIY project myself.
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As far as the "recirculating" part, I suppose the filters are supposed to trap the vapor somehow and it theoretically dumps dryer air back out?
They have (ostensibly) an activated charcoal filter that removes "odors", not moisture.
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Then I guess it doesn't matter that the vents don't hardly work. I don't care about odors, I just hate to see steam wafting to the cabinets and the kitchen ceiling. Though I must admit, the house was built in 2006, and I don't see any signs of problems with the finish on the cabinets or the sheetrock on the ceiling. Still, it bugs the hell out of me. Wife cooks a LOT with the stove and I don't see how moisture wouldn't do some damage over the long-term.
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It's not so much vapor but grease/oil that the charcoal filter is supposed to capture and then return cleaner air into the kitchen. IMO they don't work very well. It's possible that a new microwave with a new vent fan motor would be stronger and provide better suction, but I honestly don't think it makes much of a difference regarding how clean the air is, that is recirculated. The whole thing is just kind of worthless.
A pro can probably cut a vent hole to the exterior through the masonry, but it's likely not cheap. I wouldn't want to do that as a DIY project myself.
I vented mine through the soffit.
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If I'm cooking, my wife will say "That smells good!" and then turn on the vent fan.
Which makes noise I guess. I didn't want one at all but she did, and she found it and paid for it, the dang thing was about $700 as I recall. It has lights which are somewhat handy, that's all I use it for. Sauteeing garlic and onion smells good to me.
The stove was about $3300, but I'm Ok with that item. We didn't replace the dishwasher, which she keeps telling me needs to go, but I'll adjust the racks or something and it's fine. A new better quality DW is nearly a grand these days. Before tariffs.
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I vented mine through the soffit.
Need to look into that.
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I'm your basic liberal arts guy, but I grew up in a family of makers that also didn't have much spare cash. We weren't poor, but we were a long way from the average of our fancy little suburb. My dad taught design and manufacturing and built our house and rebuilt his 1950 GMC 3/4 ton with his own two hands. I'm hoping I'll get the truck someday--my wife is less excited about it. My mom sewed for a living for a while, and continued as a hobby until her body wouldn't let her anymore. From that childhood I grew up with the idea that broken things can be fixed, and worn out things can be repurposed.
So the other day I'm on the train and a random guy compliments my vest. It's not that exciting--a red vest that I bought probably 11 years ago. But I rescued it 10 years ago. When I caught an open pocket on a door handle, it tore a pretty big hole in it. It looked bad. So I sat down at the sewing machine and fixed it. I'm not that good at sewing, but I'm competent at basic tasks. This one was more than a simple stitch because of the way the tear turned around the pocket. Nonetheless, here it is 10 years later getting compliments from a random guy on the train. And I bet that very few people have ever noticed the fix without me pointing it out.
And I'm proud of that. (Obviously, since I've included it here).
(https://i.imgur.com/C9t2II0.png)
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Very strangely, during my two-year stint in Georgia, when I was in 8th grade, there was a class period that was broken up into rotating 6 week electives throughout the school year. One of them was sewing. I was like What. The. Hell. I remember my dad joking told me to fail it.
I don't think I could remember how to set up a sewing machine anymore, but I am able to use a needle and thread and re-secure a button, and that's mostly all I need. My wife has a nice sewing machine, and my grandma is talking about giving my wife her surger, which she's really excited about the prospect of.
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Very strangely, during my two-year stint in Georgia, when I was in 8th grade, there was a class period that was broken up into rotating 6 week electives throughout the school year. One of them was sewing. I was like What. The. Hell. I remember my dad joking told me to fail it.
I don't think I could remember how to set up a sewing machine anymore, but I am able to use a needle and thread and re-secure a button, and that's mostly all I need. My wife has a nice sewing machine, and my grandma is talking about giving my wife her surger, which she's really excited about the prospect of.
Yeah, we had a home economics class that had a sewing component. We needed to make a pillow. I made one that looked like a boom box.
(For the youngsters, a "boom box"... Nah, don't have time for that...)
However, all sewing, to the extent that I learned it, has fallen out of my brain now. I can't do any of it.
The one that I do recall is that my mom demanded I take a typing class freshman year of HS. To this day, I thank her for that. I am a very fast typist, and I type *FAR* faster than I can write, and this is important because I'd be in big trouble if my fingers couldn't keep up with my brain, with the amount of writing I do on a computer...
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I really learned sewing by hand from my family. The school class was only learning how to use a sewing machine. We made aprons :57:
Agree about typing. It wasn't required, but the Baton Rouge school district highly recommended it for 6th graders, which is when I learned it. Because of that, I can still TLDR you guys to death here, all these years later, with very little time spent on it :)
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I did need a refresher on using a machine several years ago--before I did this fix--but gave it to myself to help teach one of my kids how to sew. They are now studying fashion design, and have taught their younger brother how to sew--which he has done to repair and modify some of his things (like, twice, I think).
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great! a sewing thread
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I did need a refresher on using a machine several years ago--before I did this fix--but gave it to myself to help teach one of my kids how to sew. They are now studying fashion design, and have taught their younger brother how to sew--which he has done to repair and modify some of his things (like, twice, I think).
Don't let the bitter Husker get you down. Your kids will thank you when losing a button or ripping a seam is not a crisis, or the end of their favorite piece of apparel.
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I can reattach a button - that's not sewing
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Yeah, we had a home economics class that had a sewing component. We needed to make a pillow. I made one that looked like a boom box.
(For the youngsters, a "boom box"... Nah, don't have time for that...)
However, all sewing, to the extent that I learned it, has fallen out of my brain now. I can't do any of it.
The one that I do recall is that my mom demanded I take a typing class freshman year of HS. To this day, I thank her for that. I am a very fast typist, and I type *FAR* faster than I can write, and this is important because I'd be in big trouble if my fingers couldn't keep up with my brain, with the amount of writing I do on a computer...
Well.... you've touched on a humorous belief I've long held. The length of a person's post is directly correlated with how quickly they type. If the brain and fingers are neck and neck it remains effortless... it causes issue when one lags. This and the following post are the first seemingly agreeing comments I've ever heard about it..
Im the worst for tldr posts, and I'll be the first to share of of grandpa's sayings: grandpa said "boy, of it takes more than a breath to explain the essence of something, there is a fair amount of bull shit present"... he also said "boy, if someone is trying to get an emotional response, theyre trying to manipulate you".... I think I've shared that here, before.
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I type pretty fast but never had lessons. I mistype a fair bit of course and try and correct. Taking home ec back in the day would have been a sound choice.
It was where the girls were.
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home Ec was a requirement in the 70s - I sewed together a pillow - learned mostly nothing
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I took the minimum in HS to get by, always a study hall, where I at times might do homework, or not. I was not well prepared for college.
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It's 2025 and basic finance isn't a required HS class.
What are we doing?
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I think it's better for parents to teach things like "basic finance", realizing often it just doesn't happen. I recall taking "Health" and "Civics" in HS, joke classes, nobody learned anything, I fear "finance" would be the same, taught by some coach, regurgitate some "facts", and move along.
But maybe it would help some folks to understand more about credit cards and debt, if a class could help with that, fine with me. Of course, this is a local decision.
I doubt they have classes like this in Europe in high school.
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It's 2025 and basic finance isn't a required HS class.
What are we doing?
Neither is civics in many states.
"What are we doing" is right.
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But maybe it would help some folks to understand more about credit cards and debt, if a class could help with that, fine with me. Of course, this is a local decision.
credit cards and 401K learning would be huge